Hot Yoga

The first and last time Desi experienced hot (Bikram) yoga was in 2002 when we lived in Belltown. She walked away from her first hot yoga experience with a distaste for the practice because the studio she had chosen, Belltown Yoga (no longer in business), had locked her in the 90-110 degree room for the entire 90 minute class. Not expecting to be locked in a hot room for 90 minutes, and also not truly comprehending what 90-110 degrees would feel like, Desi had not mentally prepared herself for the experience and did not find it relaxing nor beneficial. In fact, it may have traumatized her.

Recently, however, Desi has been struggling with a few issues where the idea of hot yoga as the solution has proved intriguing. First, she hurt her back while renovating the second bedroom this past weekend. Probably nothing too serious, but enough pain to cause her to want to begin strengthening her core and lower back muscles. Plus, she still worries that her shoulder muscles aren't strong enough to prevent another injury similar to the one she experienced while snowboarding in early 2008.

Second, the lethargy that comes with the Seattle winters is settling in upon her regardless of how hard she tries to prevent it. The rain and darkness are preventing her from commuting to work via bicycle and her intention to join a gym to combat the lethargy is met with the reality of her laziness, which won't even allow her to get to the gym to sign up let alone go regularly to exercise.

Surprisingly, 7 years after a very bad first impression, these recent issues have led her back to hot yoga. The idea of being in a hot room practicing yoga seems almost comforting to her now. And, having tested this theory this past Tuesday, she enjoyed herself so much that she has even convinced Mike to join her on occasion.

Being in a room that hot for 60-90 minutes during these winter days is like being wrapped in a warm blanket and sitting next to a fireplace. Hopefully, the infusion of heat and the regular sessions will prove enough of a distraction to get us through these next few months of dark and wet days and also provide Desi with the core building she needs to prevent further injuries.